Business News Roundup, May 22

Adobe Systems agreed to buy e-commerce company Magento for $1.68 billion, in a bid to capture a bigger slice of the digital-commerce industry.

The Photoshop software provider is making its third-biggest acquisition to create an end-to-end system for designing digital ads, building e-commerce sites and other online experiences and completing transactions, the San Jose company said Monday.

Magento offers software to build and run web stores, handle online purchases, shipping and returns. The Campbell company also helps merchants sell products through social media ads and competes with Shopify. Magento technology supports more than $155 billion in gross merchandise volume, and customers include Canon and Rosetta Stone. EBay sold Magento in 2015 and it has been backed by private-equity firm Permira Holdings LLP since then.

The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of Adobe’s fiscal year, pending regulatory approval.

Restaurants

Starbucks:

You’re welcome

Starbucks has announced that “any customer is welcome to use Starbucks spaces, including our restrooms, cafes and patios, regardless of whether they make a purchase.”

It added that employees should follow established procedures for “addressing disruptive behaviors,” and call 911 in the case of “immediate danger or threat” to employees or customers.

The move comes after two black men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks as they waited for another man, Andrew Yaffe, who is white, for a business meeting on April 12 when police officers arrived. Their arrest was captured in video footage that has been viewed millions of times on social media.

“What did they get called for?” Yaffe asked in the video, referring to the police. “Because there are two black guys sitting here meeting me?”

Starbucks did not press charges and the men were released hours later.

After protests, Starbucks apologized and CEO Kevin Johnson called the arrests a “reprehensible outcome.” The employee who called the police was fired.

Starbucks is closing its stores in the United States on May 29 to give anti-bias training to 175,000 employees.

The company said it had reached a confidential settlement with Nelson and Robinson. The men also reached an agreement with Philadelphia: Each accepted a symbolic $1 and agreed that the city would spend $200,000 to help young entrepreneurs.

Software

Microsoft’s

privacy move

Microsoft says it’s committing to giving users worldwide the same data and privacy rights being offered to Europeans under new regulations there.

That means no matter where you live, you’ll be able to see what Microsoft collects about you and correct or delete that information. You’ll also be able to object to the use of data for marketing and other purposes.

Some companies have been limiting those options to people in the European Union, where the new rules take effect on Friday. Facebook, for instance, has said it’s offering the same settings and controls worldwide, but has stopped short of promising European-style rights around the globe.

Microsoft made its promise explicit in a blog post and new privacy policy Monday.